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Q: Any future for soccer in China?
Hi guys,
As many of you have noticed Xi Jinping and Chinese authorities in general announced a major plan of transforming China into a global soccer power within the reasonable future. Do you think it's feasible? Of course, the numbers speak for the country, but I can hardly see any people playing soccer in their spare time here, so I am having some serious doubts whether it's possible, even if supported by the endless stream of $$$
Maybe, they made China an Olympic power so why not soccer?
From what I've read though they have their work cut out for them.
Maybe, they made China an Olympic power so why not soccer?
From what I've read though they have their work cut out for them.
If you're going to look at numbers, then explain their swimming and diving teams! I've met a few who say they can swim (and see a few), but I haven't seen anyone diving! Nor have I even seen a diving block or tower...
Also for comparison - look at 'sawker' in Australia... population of 24million, but still able to get into the World Cup every time! (yeah, sure, our competition usually sucks - not sorry NZ! 
) Maybe some day, we'll even win!! (bwahahahahahaaa.....)
Does anyone else notice an account asks this same question every so often? What is your reference for Chairman Xi saying they're going to make China a soccer powerhouse?
Population has nothing to do with it, it's all about interest. In China, sports are not seen as the path to making it big.
icnif77:
Yes, I did notice the same!
I was asking one of my fav Chinese recruiters a year ago about soccer coach openings, because of the thread here, and afterwards recruiter told me nobody contacted him.
blabla12:
I am sorry, but If you haven't noticed millions of articles like this http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2015-10/17/c_134723196.htm then I really have nothing to say. Yeah, it must be some well-knit conspiracy that some people are interested in soccer.
blabla12:
5 mins of googling provided me with a list of articles relating to the topic. I can find you at least 10 articles from major English-language media outlets for every month between March 2012 and September 2016 pondering on China's rising power in football (they talk about it on a daily basis in Chinese language media). What is more, the last major update of the plan to make the country's national team a global power was announced in March, which hardly makes it a year (at least not according to Earth's time):
Englteachted:
Why can't Chinese think like humans? The fact that you had to search for it shows that it wasn't randomly read.
blabla12:
I quite don't understand this rant on the Chinese and links posted few months ago never remain on the homepage for that long...
The problem with Chinese football is not a lack a capability, it's corruption. Referees are bought, players and coaches pay for their positions through affiliations with sponsors, owners etc.. and guanxi is more important that skill. This occurs at both club and national level.
For this to change would require a change in the mindset of the entire nation. We are starting to see corruption tackled at a political level, but for the rest of society it's still rife and dictates almost everything that happens in this country.
Xi, has said that he wants China to win the world cup within 15 yeas. No way will that happen! Even if China can manage to become good at football in that timeframe (they can't for reasons mentioned above) winning the world cup is seriously difficult even for the very best of teams. Look at teams like England and the Netherlands. 2 football superpowers, yet one hasn't won the world cup for 50 years, the other has never won it. It's not like something like diving, where you can train by sheer repetition every day and in the competition generally the best person wins.
Maybe China will be good at football one day, but I see it taking closer to 50 years than 15, and even then winning the world cup requires just the right combination of luck and circumstance.
You owe me a new monitor, I spat noodles all over mine because of this BS.
"The Chinese fans are the most dedicated. They are simply hoping for the best result each time, but the players failed usually. The athletes in China are earning top salary. They are improving if the rival team cracks."
Shining_brow:
ET - providing humour is a valid reason for posting... so, I suggest you don't acknowledge such things, lest we be beset by more crap irrelevant posts!
Just downvote them like the rest of us do...
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